Mastery of personal sales

Kaspersky has dozens of clients among the Fortune 500 – including several in the ‘Top 30’ – and it goes without saying that manufacturers and providers actively seek out these star companies. Some of our Fortune 500 deals I concluded myself, and through these experiences I have developed my own style of working together with these giants of industry. All these rules I discovered by myself, through learning from unsuccessful cases and client feedback, observation, and analyzing mistakes. After all, we cannot grow without them!??

Here are some insights for making a successful sale with this category of client:??

1.Understanding the setting. From the start, we should realize clearly that we are communicating with extraordinary, clever, successful, influential and very busy people. They hold key positions in their respective companies, which generated $33.3 trillion in revenues?in 2019 and together, 2020?Fortune?Global 500 companies employ 69.9 million people worldwide. They may be as recognizable and influential as the “first faces” of the world, such as presidents or prime ministers, and if we are going to propose a solution to them, we must be sure that it has been thoroughly thought through. At the same time, even if the value of what we propose is high (as it always should be), we have to realize that competition for these clients is tremendous. So, it’s not the case that we can just “lock the door” and advertise our unique product – we should make many special preparations beforehand.????

2. Compliance. Kaspersky works with Fortune 500 companies from different countries and continents. All of them have their own governing rules and unique corporate cultures, beginning with standards of appearance and ending with standards of thinking and acting. (Some companies even have requirements around manicure, accessories, standards of dress, colors, perfume and so on…) All these sets of rules play an important role, because they contribute to loyalty and community within a company. In addition, there may be rules around standards of communication, and behavior and compliance with legislation of all the countries they deal with. They position themselves as the very best at what they do, and that is why it is very important to get acquainted with all of these requirements, to respect and satisfy them; it is an opportunity and condition of affiliation to the company standard!

3. Preparing for your meeting. This demands your time and your analytical skills. You need to perform a thorough analysis of the infrastructure of the company you are going to approach. Study their releases, even old ones, explore the past decisions of these companies, read shareholder reports, and find out who influences their decision-making. As a first stop, you can find much of this information openly available on their websites. Supporting the strategic goals of the business is key; you should keep in mind that the priorities of the person sitting opposite you will align with the priorities of their company, and they will know clearly what the business’s strategic goals are. If you understand where they’re coming from, you can talk “in one language”. Be ready to conduct such deep analysis in advance, and then repeat this again in a shorter, well-structured, logical and concentrated way during your meeting, using only the most important, crucial and demonstrative material.????

4. Behavior in the meeting. You must be prepared and fluent in the meeting, and not waste time on trying to extract or learn the “obvious things” you were supposed to research and comprehend prior to your discussion. And, like in any negotiation, informative communication should be accompanied with professional interaction. It is critical to convey your position as a professional and expert in your field, along with a calm, confident personality. This is not the time for bravado, or shows with plenty of words and emotion; simply get straight to the point with a sense of dignity. Right now, you are a brand ambassador for your company, and while it’s true that you are one of thousands (or even millions) of suppliers, you are the one here… now… and this is your challenge and chance to impress. Offer your prospective client effective ways to solve their problems, and don’t even think about the sale. This is where your prior research will be of great value, as you identify how your solutions can help.

It’s also very useful to think about ways you can provide your service for long PoC, to demonstrate how you solve problems for clients and also to show them how important they are to you. This type of client is very demanding, and they have every right to be. They have tremendous experience and a wide portfolio of solutions, and they appreciate useful information, given in a concise, comfortable way. Such negotiations can be priceless experiences, and we should take onboard every word, comment, or critique, as this will provide us with incredible insight into the scale of the challenge these individuals and businesses face every day. As much as such meetings are about bringing onboard a new client, they are also valuable learning and training opportunities.???

5. How to help a decision be made. We know that services that can be purchased with “one click” are designed to win. Likewise, we have to offload as much of the pressure from the prospective client in the process of making a deal. In such large corporate structures, we will have to knock on many doors. We should start by building relationships at all levels – IT director, cybersecurity director, technical specialists – and keep in touch with them at every stage of the decision-making process. Where possible, we should do most of the work required, having asked for permission to do so in advance, of course. Global, multilevel structures imply complicated decision-making processes. Therefore, we should create a common information field, do all the necessary agreement preparations and coordination, and comply with all pro formas to help get approval from all departments. At the same time, it is an opportunity to show ourselves through our deeds; we should save time and other resources for our prospective client, but it’s obvious that our decisions should also satisfy them.?

6. Ethics. Successfully bringing onboard a big client can create an immediate temptation for advertising through them. But professional thinking and behavior means that we must put their desires and comfort above our own. If they would prefer to keep business dealings and outcomes confidential, we must respect their wishes. However, if your client has no such reservations, this opens the door to creating valuable case studies to attract new business!

7. After the sale. Sales managers should realize that securing a new client is only the first step in the journey; our professionalism and responsibility is to remain proactive, anticipate obstacles, and to provide the absolute best service, day after day

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